Belgrade, Aug 23 (IANS): A devastating house fire claimed the lives of a family of six people, including four young children, in the early hours of Friday in Novi Sad, Serbia's second-largest city, said Serbia's Interior Ministry.

.Preliminary investigations indicate that the blaze may have been ignited by a charging electric scooter, Xinhua news agency reported.

The victims are believed to be members of the same family residing at the address, with the children aged between 2 and 7 years. Both parents also perished in the fire.

Authorities are continuing their investigation into the cause of this tragic incident.

The fire erupted around 3 a.m. in Novi Sad, nearly 90 km north of the capital Belgrade, Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said.

An emergency doctor told state television channel RTS that all the victims were already dead when the medical team reached the scene.

Dacic said in a statement that initial findings suggest the cause could have been a charging electric scooter.

The children were between two and seven years old, Dacic said.

Police are working to establish the victims' identity but they assume they are all members of a family registered at the address, he added.

Serbian media published photos from the scene showing charred items in a small brick house, including a baby stroller and a washing machine.